USA TODAY International Edition
Real ‘ Dance’ message never needed to be said
There has been a lot of debate about “The Last Dance,” the 10- part docuseries produced by ESPN and Netflix that focuses on the career of Michael Jordan and his last championship run with the Bulls.
Critics point out that with Jordan’s involvement and editorial oversight, the documentary shies away from telling the real story of Jordan. It pulls punches. Documentarian Ken Burns went as far as to say the series represented a larger shift in the problem with modern documentary work – we’re sacrificing objectivity for access.
While a little unfair – this documentary was never going to be made without ceding a bit of control to Jordan – Burns is right. While endlessly entertaining, “The Last Dance” does skew for Jordan. It scapegoated general manager Jerry Krause early and did the head fake of looking like it was addressing Jordan’s shameful lack of involvement in politics, only to ultimately skirt the issue.
It painted Jordan’s horrific treatment of his teammates as a necessity for greatness, which is something Jordan clearly still himself believes.
But I would argue the biggest takeaway from the documentary is one that does not need to be said explicitly, because it is right there for anyone with half a brain to see: Jordan was the ultimate winner, but the drive to win like that doomed him to a life of loneliness and anger.
I’m sure some aggro people out there will look at Jordan’s endless list of slights and offenses, things he used to fuel his desire to dominate, as inspirational. It all just seemed sad to me.
Michael Jordan needed to re- create the world around him into one where everyone was trying to hold him back, or doubt him, and he needed to conquer them. It’s what fueled him to be the greatest ever. It also seems like a truly awful way to live.
Conflict is exhausting. Living in a state of constant battle, looking for people to beat, looking for slights, letting those perhaps imagined offenses fester … can you imagine living like that? Trying to keep track of it all? Trying to keep that fire burning?
Some people think that’s the only way to succeed, and we in America love to fetishize a drive like that. But after years of that, it has to break you down. Never knowing peace. It made me empathize with Jordan a little bit. And while it was never explicitly said by other athletes in the film, I think it’s clear they understood it – they saw what it took to be Michael Jordan, and they said “Nah.”
Maybe the documentary could have driven home the point better: the psychological cost of all this. But for me, at least, I didn’t need them to explain that. It was plain as day to see.